Commonly Asked Questions

If you are a new user of gel polish, please don’t be disheartened if your first few manicures don’t last as long as expected. There are many tips and tricks to applying gel polish that make the difference between a long-lasting application and an application that doesn’t last long enough (i.e. chips easily or peels). Often, new users of gel polish make small mistakes during the application process that cause premature chipping or peeling. Once you master your gel polish application you will get no peeling and may get minor chipping at the end of your manicures life. Practice really does make perfect!

Please be patient, read our application instructions carefully, and take note of our tip and tricks. Once you get used to the application process, you will be able to enjoy shiny, long-lasting and chip-free manicures.

• Read our Application Guide carefully before applying your polish.
• Nail prep is supremely important and will directly influence the longevity of your mani or pedi. Before applying your polish, gently buff the entire surface of each nail. Make sure to buff in one direction and remember, you are trying to rough up your nails, not make them smooth, so the whole nail should appear dull (not shiny) from the buffing. You need to be very thorough with the buffing, paying particular attention to the sides of the nails and around the cuticle, as this is where lifting may occur prematurely if they are not buffed correctly.
• Make sure to clean the nails thoroughly after buffing. Any buffing dust, oil, etc will reduce adhesion of the gel and affect the longevity.
• Don’t do your coats of polish too thick and make sure they are an even thickness. You should be able to see through the first two coats, then the third will be completely polish coloured. Pay attention to the cuticles and the sides, as this is where polish can get thicker if you have too much polish on the brush. Thinner is better to ensure proper curing and reduce the likelihood of peeling or chipping.
• When applying, start in the middle of the nail then ‘push’ polish gently towards the cuticle without it touching. Then pull one stroke up the centre, one up each side and finally ‘cap’ the nail by running the brush horizontally over the top (this stops lifting at the top and the cuticle). The capping is very important!
• It is important to leave a thin gap between the edge of the polish and your cuticle. If the polish is applied to the cuticle, as your nail plate grows, eventually the polish will separate from the skin, causing the polish to lift. Aim to avoid getting any polish on your skin or cuticle, however if you do, remove it with an Orangewood Cuticle Stick or Lint Free Pad before curing.
• Avoid washing dishes or using cleaning products without gloves, as this can interfere with the polish. 
Dig out those rubber gloves!
• Use cuticle oil regularly to help your nails look fresh for longer and keep the area moisturised. If you get a snag, file your gels down.

Gel polish that is exposed to oxygen does not cure - what remains on the surface is a layer of slightly tacky, uncured gel referred to as the "inhibition layer. Have no fear about the uncured gel, though - when you apply the next layer, the previous inhibition layer is no longer exposed to oxygen, so it will cure when you cure the next layer. As long as you are applying your polish in thin, even layers and curing for 60 seconds, your polish will be cured. If you wish to, you can dampen a Lint Free Pad with Nail Polish remover and lightly wipe over the surface of the nail.

Unlike the Base Coat and Colour Coat, your Top Coat layer should be hard, dried and perfectly cured once you have placed your nails under the Gel Nail Lamp for 60 seconds.

Avoid getting back-to-back gel manicures. This break will allow your nails to rehydrate and repair. We recommend a break of at least 1-2 weeks.

If you have a chip, but don't want to redo your whole manicure, you can:

• Buff off the shiny top coat completely.
• Wipe the buffing dust with a moistened Lint Free Wipe.
• Apply a layer of your Colour Coat, curing as per your regular application instructions
• Apply a layer of your Top Coat, curing as per your regular application instructions.

Avoid gel manicures if you have extremely short nails or if your nails are in poor condition (thin, dry or split). Also discontinue use if sensitivity or irritation occurs.

No, you should turn the bottle upside down and roll between your hands, rather than shaking. The heat from your hands will help to warm and thin out the polish. 

While the ingredients in our gel polish are safe for pregnant women, all gel polish can cause reactions if you get it on your skin. As skin is more sensitive during pregnancy, you may be more likely to develop a reaction if you get it on your skin. You should also make sure to use new or sterilised nail tools to avoid this.

The nail polish remover used in the removal process of gel nails can also affect a pregnant women’s nail strength more than someone who isn’t pregnant, as pregnancy makes your nails more brittle. You should use high quality nail polish remover for as little time as possible. 10 minutes into the removal process, you should start checking if your polish is ready to be easily removed.

Always perform your gel manicure application and removal in a well ventilated area and use sunblock on the skin surrounding the nails.

Gel nail polish itself will not hurt your nails and if you apply and remove the gel polish correctly, there will be little to no damage. However picking at gel polish may harm them, as you will inevitably peel away part of your natural nail, leaving it thin and weak.

Gel polish bottles should be stored in a cool, climate-controlled area away from exposure to natural sunlight. Don't leave them sitting out in front of a window or in a bright room that gets a lot of light. Ideally they should be stored somewhere dark like in a closet, box or drawer. Polish should not be stored in your bathroom, as it’s constantly heating up and cooling down because of your blow dryer and shower.

Our bottles are black to stop sunlight from affecting them as much, however you should still store your bottles away from sunlight.

Storing your nail polish right side up prevents it from drying out. Don’t store them upside down, as it can cause clumps and drying at the neck of the bottle.

Along with following the storage instructions above, you should keep the neck of your polish bottle clean by wiping it with a Lint Free Pad. This will allow your bottle to close properly and prevent air from getting inside.

Make sure your nail polish lids are always screwed on tightly. We recommend closing the lid tightly after each coat. Exposing your polish to air and sunlight is one of the leading reasons your polish thickens.

If your polish has already thickened, you can try running your closed gel polish bottle under hot water to heat up the polish. After a minute or two under the hot water, roll the bottle between your hands. Be careful because the bottle can get very hot. Repeat this process until your polish is a good consistency.

You can give the brush a gentle clean with rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. Make sure to throughly rinse the brush with warm water, then dry with a Lint Free Pad before putting it back in the bottle.

Do not use acetone to clean the brush, because this can melt the brush.

To avoid this in future, please make sure to follow the storage instructions above.

Our Gel Polish can last from 18 to 24 months if it is stored correctly. See storage recommendations above.

Gelous offers professional, salon quality gel manicures from the comfort of your own home. Our nail polish is totally different from ordinary nail polishes that can fade, peel or chip quickly - lasting up to two weeks! You don’t have to worry about waiting for your nails to dry or smudging them afterwards – they are hard, cured and perfectly dry once the top coat is cured!

Though all gel manicures require exposure to UV light (regardless of whether it’s a UVLED, LED lamp or an UV lamp), don’t freak: “A study quantified the skin cancer risk of these devices and determined that even if you were to have a gel manicure every week, your chances of developing skin cancer would not be increased,” says Dr. Stern. We do recommend putting sunblock on 30minutes before using to protect your skin - just as we recommend this before you go out for a walk in the sun, or hit the beach!

The LED bulbs used in our lamps, are much safer than UV bulbs, last longer and take less time to dry your nails — it’s a win-win!

Gel polish is made up of acrylic monomers and oligomers that bond together when placed under LED bulbs. This process is called "curing," and in 60 seconds, the once-liquid gel turns into a hard coating.

Our gel polish and nail lamp are totally compatible, with the UV/LED Lamp operating at 365-405nm and the gel polish curing within this wavelength. We advise against using different polishes with our lamps, or different lamps with our polish as they may not be compatible.

Our lamps are UV/LED. They use LED bulbs that work on a narrow bandwidth of the UV spectrum, between 365-405nm. The LED bulbs, are much safer than UV bulbs, last longer and take less time to dry your nails, so are much more effective!

Technical Specifications:
• Gel Nail Lamp Maximum Power Consumption: 48W
• Gel Nail Lamp Size: 15cm x 19cm x 8.5cm
• Gel Nail Lamp Wavelength: 365-405nm
• Adaptor Rated Input: 100-240V 50/60Hz 1A
• Adaptor Rated Output: DC 24V 2A

48W. It also features a 24W Power Switch so you can switch from the standard 48W mode to the 24W low-heat mode as you please.

Gelous is MSDS, CPNP, FDA , SGS and CE certified.

That’s a big fat no!

Yes! Our gel polish ingredients are all vegan.

Yes! Simply go through the checkout process as usual and select the pick up option in the 'information' step of checkout. Once your order is received, you can pick it up from our Mt Wellington store.

Our warehouse address is Gelous C/O Vape Bandit, Unit B5, 1066 Great South Road, Mt Wellington, Auckland. Our hours are 9am - 5pm, Monday - Friday. Please ensure you order at least 4 hours in advance. However, if you contact us within 4 hours we may be able to arrange something.